In Great Britain – 57,000 Patients a Year Die Without Being Told Life-Saving Treatments Have Been Stopped

Coming soon to America – Secret Death Panels
The worries about Liverpool Care Pathway arise from reports that it is sometimes invoked without informing either the patient or family. (Photo: Alamy)

In December a national audit found that half of dying patients placed on the controversial “Liverpool Care Pathway” are never told that life-saving treatment has been withdrawn. Each year 57,000 patients die without being told life-saving treatments have been stopped. And For 22 per cent of these patients, there was no evidence that comfort and safety had been maintained while medication was administered.

And, it’s not just the patients who are in the dark. A third of families are also not told when doctors withdraw lifesaving treatment from loved ones.BizzyBlog reported:

The latest news about the pathway has drawn the attention of a few prolife blogs in the U.S., but almost no attention from U.S. establishment press sources.

That’s stunnning, given both the seriousness of the news about the pathway’s real-world effects, and the reactions of those who insist that it’s still a great thing in their brave new healthcare world. A UK Daily mail item on December 30 summarized the extent of the horror in three succinct sentences:

Up to 60,000 patients die on the Liverpool Care Pathway each year without giving their consent, shocking figures revealed yesterday.

A third of families are also kept in the dark when doctors withdraw lifesaving treatment from loved ones.

Despite the revelations, Jeremy Hunt last night claimed the pathway was a ‘fantastic step forward’.